


You Must Be Double Dead

by Anonymous



Series: One [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-05-08 23:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14704272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The weight inside of Akira spreads its wings.





	1. Hatch

“You’re not drowning are you?”

Morgana paws the door, carefully keeping his claws sheathed. 

The kid has been in there for a while now. All he could pick up was occasional splashing and the faucet running, which doesn’t tell him anything. There’s also a decidedly chemical scent wafting out from under the door.

“M’fine.” Comes the muffled response.

When Akira finally emerges he’s dry, he seems to have towelled his hair a bit too rough. The smell coming off his hair has Morgana reeling.

Morgana narrows his eyes at the kid. “You weren’t doing anything funny in there were you?”

He catches a faint pink on Akira’s cheeks before he looks away, twiddling a bit of his fringe. “All the time you know me.”

If that’s how he wants to play then fine by Morgana. He leaps from the floor to the barstool, countertop.

His landing on Akira is marked with a yelp under him.

Akira’s hair wasn’t always this dark was it?

He springboards off of Akira’s shoulders. He’ll get the truth out of him one way or another.

There’s all kinds of foreign scents pouring off of Akira. Most obvious is the chemical scent but he’s also getting something salty coming from Akira’s hands. Morgana pads up the stairs after Akira, his tail swishing faster as Akira sets something down onto the table. 

“What’s that?” Morgana asks, jumping on the table to sniff the damp plastic thing.

“Contacts case.” Akira says, pulling his shirt off.

“You’re gonna wear glasses and contacts!?” 

Akira turns to face him. “It’s just for colour.”

“Oh oh you should get blue! Like my devilishly captivating eye colour!” Morgana says puffing his chest out.

The night lamp shines and reflects off of Akira’s eyes in a way and Morgana deflates. “Hey do you have them in now? It’s not good to sleep with those things in right?”

Akira gasps and touches his cheekbone but the surprise disappears in a blink. “Don’t sweat it.”

He smiles down at him.

Morgana narrows his eyes. What’s he smiling for?

“Say. What colour did you get anyway?”

“You’ll see.”

***

Akira’s been spending more time in the bathroom.

Morgana can’t follow him into there. If Morgana’s not there to keep him out of trouble no one will. Who knows what he could be up to in there?

“Hey Akira you’re not dead in there are you? What’s happening?” Morgana yowls and scratches at the door, just a weensy bit. Not weensy enough to escape Sojiro’s notice.

“Oi!” he shouts, immediately dragging Morgana away from the door by his scruff. “Kid your cat’s out of control get out here.”

A long minute later Akira emerges reeking of heat, chemical, and salt.

“That an iron? Thought your hair’s enough a mess by itself.” Sojiro says looking to Akira’s hand.

“Tryin’ somethin’ new.” Akira says with a lilt in his voice, thoughtfully holding his chin with his thumb and index finger.

Like the acrid smell that hangs around Akira these days it throws Morgana off. 

“Uh I’m gonna stay with Futaba tonight!” Morgana blurts out, he needs to make a plan. “You behave now.” He walks towards the door but turns back one last time. “You go to bed soon you hear me? I’ll know if you don’t!”

“Of course,” Akira says cheerfully.

Closing the door behind Morgana, Akira drags his feet back up the stairs. He’s been so exhausted lately. Getting out of bed is torture. His body feels sluggish.

Morgana thinks he has it in him to get into trouble, good joke. 

Once he hits the edge of his bed he face plants into the mattress. Sleeping like this would be bad. The heater still hasn’t been refilled, he can’t just sleep flopped on the mattress like this.

It’s too much effort to move.

Suddenly their left arm shoots to his face. Wrenching his nose shut and covering his mouth.

Before he knows what’s happening his lungs already burn.

His right arm claws at the other wrist but it won’t yield.

Then laughter. A shrill frantic screeching cackle rattles his mind.

The world goes black, fading out with the laughter echoing in his head.


	2. Frontier Cytokinesis

The kid’s already glued to his phone on the regular, spends most of that time buttoning at the speed of light. Something that had ticked Morgana off until the introduction of the group chat. It’s good that Akira has people to talk to.

Morgana stares at him, the heat coming off the radiator warps the air around it, distorting Akira’s face.

Tonight Akira’s just been scrolling. It’s late, he must have told Akira to go to sleep a dozen times, the kid just keeps scrolling. His eyes droop shut right when Akira speaks up.

“What days do I work at Iwai’s shop again?”

“Haw?” Morgana yawns. “How the heck should I know? You just go wherever and I try to kill time,” he rolls over, gaze catching on Akira’s phone.

“That a new phone?”

“No.”

Morgana squints, something about it looks off but he can’t quite place what.

School days pass at a crawl. Often he found himself falling asleep in Akira’s desk and waking up with many more hours to go.

“That sounds like the flight to Hawaii.” Akira had said.

The days Akira spends in hiding pass even slower.

Morgana focuses on each snip of the scissors Akira passes around his hair.

“Didn’t you just cut your hair the other day?” Morgana pipes up, sitting atop the toilet tank. Enough clawing at the door and yelling from Sojiro left Akira with no choice but to let him in.

“Didn’t cut enough,” Akira quips. 

Indeed if Morgana really looks Akira’s hair is droopier, he has to squint a little to see Akira’s eyes. 

He swishes his tail and looks to the contacts case on the sink.

Morgana prides himself on being a skilled tactician, but this was a tough nut to crack. It doesn’t help that Akira gets so _weird_ whenever Morgana asks questions.

In Mementos it’s difficult for Morgana to keep everyone under surveillance, but where he falters the others pick up the slack.

“Joker are you trying something?” Futaba says from Prometheus. “You’ve been favouring your left side.”

“Feels better this way,” Joker grunts.

The recent block of Mementos lasts forever. According to his own senses they are closer but nowhere near the end of Mementos. According to Futaba’s much more accurate senses they are two floors from the bottom of the block. 

They hit it at the end of that thought.

“Well this is always how it is isn’t it?” Ann says walking up to the solid wall at the end of the platform. “Mona you said it’s to do with popularity right?”

“If that’s the case it probably won’t open up until we send the calling card,” Yusuke says. “Or if Shido vindicates the Phantom Thieves after we steal his heart.”

Joker pads close to the wall. Stopping before it solid wall gives and folds away to reveal the usual subway escalators. 

“Mona you said these barriers were based off of our popularity as a whole?”

“That’s what I thought, there might be fluctuations in individual popularity but not enough to make this much of a difference.”

“If anything I thought that it’d be more likely to open for me or Noir.” Ann says thoughtfully.

They all look to Joker who merely shrugs.

“Should we scout the next area?” Ann takes a step towards the escalator.

“No,” Futaba says from Prometheus. “I want to talk to y’all about something up top.”

It’s a quiet drive back to the top of Mementos.

“So,” Futaba says when they hit the entrance. “Joker mind telling me something?” 

“Of course.”

“Who are you?”

“Joker?” Joker? replies.

“I knew it,” Morgana says under his breath.

There’s a moment of silence, Morgana’s ears twitch listening to Futaba messing around with the controls in Prometheus.

Enough time for the team to take matters into their own hands.

Ann charges legs first drop kicking Joker? to the ground. Haru’s up next, keeping them pinned to the mat by the neck with her axe.

“Give ‘im the business!” Ryuji shouts from the periphery. Prompting Makoto to triple team the stranger, tearing her scarf off and tying Joker?’s hands together.

“Who are you?” Makoto asks this time.

Joker? shrugs the best they can.

“My computer says it’s Crow.” Futaba says.

Everyone gasps.

“No I’m not!” Crow? interjects before Haru shoves their head back against the tile.

“Like fused with Crow?” Ann asks, digging her knee harder into the Crow?’s chest. “They look exactly like Joker though.”

All of Akira’s weird bathroom accessories come rushing back to Morgana. “He’s been colourin’ his hair and wearin’ contacts!”

“So you’ve been around for a while,” Makoto says, pacing around their hostage. “And hiding who you are.”

“Joker if you’re in there spit him out.” Morgana bounds over to the pile and tugs on Crow?’s sleeve.

“Can’t,” Crow? wheezes.

Everything Crow? says subsequently makes less sense.

“Maybe it’s mostly Crow and he’s afraid to come out?” Ann retracts her knee a bit. “Crow we weren’t lying when we said you’re welcome to join us,” she says softly then sniffles a little. “I’m glad you’re alive, I’m sure everyone else is too.” 

“Yeah.”

“Agreed, you would be a most welcome addition to the team.”

“I said I’m not Crow!” ??? snaps.

“Oh,” Ann blinks. She digs her knee back into ???’s chest.

“We can’t keep them tied up ‘n shit in Shibuya station.” Ryuji says. “Should be fine for now right? Mona has this one done anything bad?” He squats down next to their prisoner.

“No, kinda weird that he’s been making himself look like Joker but nothing bad.”

Ryuji scratches the back of his head. “Let’s pick this up at the hideout then? We can’t spend all day in Mementos asking them questions.”

“No.”

The all look to Prometheus floating menacingly above.

“I’m not letting them back in Yongen until I’m sure Sojiro’ll be safe.” 

“Can anyone think of a secure location nearby?” Makoto crosses her arms. “We’ll talk first. If they can’t convince Oracle then we’ll find somewhere else to keep them.”

“I’d offer my house but…” Haru trails off.

“The accessway was quite good but if we were all sighted there together…” Makoto trails off.

“The atelier has been abandoned but…” Yusuke winces and trails off. He shoots ??? a glare, “I’m inclined to believe you’re not Crow. I’d think Crow would know better than to disguise himself as Joker in these difficult times.”

??? blows a raspberry then rests their head against the floor. “The Okumura mansion and the atelier are being monitored. The accessway is better but not by much if it’s all of us.”

“What about the diner in Central Street?” Makoto asks them.

“Better, but it’s a weekend and exam season.”

“It’s raining,” Makoto counters.

??? sighs, “just try to keep it down.”

***

“I won’t hurt anyone and I won’t do a runner,” ??? grumbles.

“So where’s Akira?”

??? doesn’t say anything.

“When did you take his place?”

??? keeps their head down and remains silent.

“Morgana do you have any idea? I don’t think this one will tell us anything,” Ann turns to him.

His ears droop, “unless stuff has been happening while I’m sleeping.”

“His longest fusion is with Ryuji right?” Makoto looks to Futaba.

“Yeah, but even then it’s only four hours. The amount of management this one would have to do to stay fused with Akechi without Morgana noticing…” Futaba shakes her head, typing louder at her laptop. “Also Prometheus said he used up all his fusion potential for the time being.”

She pauses.

“My phone tracker is picking up two GPS signals but they’re both from Akira’s phone and they’re both coming from here.” Futaba says frowning.

??? takes a hunk of misshapen metal from their pocket, “probably because his phone has two GPSs.”

“Holy shit,” Ryuji’s eyes bug out. “I knew clothes kinda got twisted but Akira’s never screwed up anyone’s phone like that before.” Ryuji raises a nonexistent eyebrow.

They scarcely bring the phone out before Futaba confiscates it. “That explains the duplicated signal, but I’m still getting unique calls and messages from each phone.”

“Then there’s still two phones? Where’s the other phone?” Ryuji sounds even more puzzled.

??? shrugs, “probably with the other guy.”


End file.
